Sam Long has joined Lucy Charles-Barclay in announcing that he will not be competing at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Nice next week – as he focuses everything on what will be his first-ever appearance at Kona.
The American, widely regarded as one of the leading contenders for victory in France, is a 70.3 specialist with 16 wins at the distance during a career that has also seen him pick up nine further podiums.
However, with the IRONMAN World Championship following just 27 days after Nice on October 10, he has made the shock decision to instead put all of his efforts into October’s full-distance showdown and park his dreams of 70.3 glory… at least for this year.
Keen to be at his best for Kona debut
Indeed, there is no doubt that he will be back in 2027.
While this year’s half-distance championship is being held in Europe – meaning a lengthy flight and acclimatisation period for American athletes – next year’s will be held in Chattanooga, and Long is fully expected to return for a ‘home’ race where he has already won four times (two of those being over the full IRONMAN distance).
Explaining his decision on Instagram, Long said: “Skipping Nice and all in on Kona. Some might find it odd with my 70.3 success to not race 70.3 Worlds, but I want to give myself my best shot at success for my Kona Debut!
“I’ve been assigned bib number 26 for Kona, so hoping to Beat My Bib…”
He added a little more information in a reply to one of the other favourites for the title, Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt, who commented: “Come to Nice, my friend! It’s a world championship.”
To which Long replied: “@kristianblu being on this hemisphere, it’s even more complicated than being European. There is a fine line between being ambitious and being greedy.”
Follows chock announcement from LCB
Two other big-name North Americans, Lionel Sanders and Trevor Foley, have also passed up the opportunity to race in Nice – Sanders as he continues his cautious return following injury and Foley for much the same reason as Long.
Earlier this week, Charles-Barclay explained how she had also made the tough call to miss Nice, opting against defending the 70.3 crown that she won in such emotional scenes last year in Marbella.
Crucially, Charles-Barclay stressed that the decision has nothing to do with injury or fitness following a challenging start to 2026, revealing she had agonised over whether to race but ultimately kept returning to one question – what would give her the best possible chance of arriving in Kona at her peak?
“I’m healthy. Training is going really well. And, if anything, that’s what has made this decision so hard,” she explained. “Anyone who knows me knows I’m a racer. Once the gun goes, there’s no 90% setting.
‘Nice could never be a training day’
“Nice could never be a training day or something that I simply slot into the build. It’s a World Championship, I’m the defending champion, and I’d go there to give it everything I have.
“That means tapering, travelling, racing flat out and then recovering afterwards, all of which inevitably means missing key workouts and days I can’t get back.
“Ultimately, I don’t want to reach a hard moment in Kona and wonder whether I left part of my best performance in Nice. Once I looked at it like that, the risk versus reward became clear.”
The men’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship takes place on Sunday, September 13, with the women’s race on Saturday the 12th.
